GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION

Global citizenship is a contested concept in scholarly discourse, and there are multiple interpretations of what it means to be a global citizen. Some have called global citizenship ‘citizenship beyond borders’, or ‘citizenship beyond the nations and states’. Others have noted that ‘cosmopolitanism,’ as a term, may be broader and more inclusive than global citizenship, while still others opt for ‘planetary citizenship’, focusing on the global community’s responsibility to preserve the planet Earth.

Global Citizenship Education (GCE) has been applied in different ways in different contexts, regions and communities, it has a number of common elements, which include fostering in learners:

• An attitude supported by an understanding of multiple levels of identity, and the potential for a ‘collective identity’ which transcends individual cultural, religious, ethnic or other differences;
•  A deep knowledge of global issues and universal values such as justice, equality, dignity and respect; 
• Cognitive skills to think critically, systemically and creatively, including adopting a multi perspective approach that recognizes the different dimensions, perspectives and angles of issues;
•  Non-cognitive skills including social skills such as empathy and conflict resolution, communication skills and aptitudes for networking and interacting with people of different backgrounds, origins, cultures and perspectives; and 
• Behavioural capacities to act collaboratively and responsibly to find global solutions for global challenges, and to strive for the collective good.